


Fireflies

by hermione_astreia



Series: The Firefly Series (ATLA/BTS/OC) [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Is Not The Avatar, Arranged Marriage, Avatar Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fire Nation Royal Family, Firelord Azula (Avatar), Multi, Sane Azula (Avatar), Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Time Loop, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26259730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermione_astreia/pseuds/hermione_astreia
Summary: "This story is about my family, a return to the past, traveling back in time in order to save and protect what's dear to you.""But there are consequences, and the story changes every time you return to it.""I did it for the girl who would have ended up in chains, in the gutter of the palace courtyard, screaming and crying.""My cousin. Someone who was like a sister to me.""I couldn't lose her. So I trapped myself in a time loop, in order to return to the beginning, and change how the story ends.""This is the tale of my final attempt."
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar)/Original Female Character, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten/Yue, Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar)
Series: The Firefly Series (ATLA/BTS/OC) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907836
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. It Begins At The End

Attempt #303  
TANA

Azula's voice is shaky, and weak.  
"Father, n-no please!"

There are tears running down her cheeks. Her hair, is messy, and ragged and matted with blood.

Ozai stands tall above her.

"Stand up and fight!"

Azula keeps her head bowed down, and she is kneeling, shaking sobbing.

And Tana is helpless.

On her lap was Zuko, his blood staining her clothes. There is sweat on his brows, and with his eyes closed he looked as if he was only sleeping. But it was not so.

The Avatar was dead. The Avatar Cycle had ended.

Above them, the sky was a deep, dark red, smoke trailing in the air. Around them were the remains of a scorched Palace, and bodies littering the ground like leaves in the fall.

Tana does not cry. Her leg is turned in an awkward angle, and it hurts, and yet she doesn't cry. Her pride doesn't let her.

Ozai takes a step towards his daughter.

"N-no, no, no, nononono..!"

Tana closes her eyes and remembers her father. He was dead, she knew that. And it was her fault.

"Leaves from the vine,"

Appa moans somewhere, faraway. He is slowly dying, she realizes, but if she gets there in time maybe she can get Zuko on him and find a healer somewhere.

"Falling so slowly,"

Azula's whimpers carry out over the courtyard. Ozai has pulled her up by her hair.  
“I am your loyal daughter!”

"Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the snow."

The sound of rain.

Cool drops are falling everywhere, and though Tana hates the rain, she can't move.

Soon, she and Zuko are drenched, and Tana feels horrible.

She tried to heal Zuko. But there was nothing left of him except an empty, bloody, bruised, scarred, broken body.

"Little soldier boy, come marching home."

With all her strength she tries to stand up, leaning on her good leg, carrying a heavy corpse by her side.

She winces at the pain that has increased a thousandfold.

Tana finally cries.

The world has taken too much from her.  
Her mother, her brother, a throne, her aunt, her grandfather, her friends, her family, her father, Zuko-

And she knows, she knows.

The world would take Azula too.

"Brave soldier boy, come marching home."

Azula screams, and Tana sobs.

There is a smell of burned flesh in the air.

The world falls silent.

Lightning flashes and for a moment, the world is brightly lit.

Tana waits for the sound of thunder, something she would always look forward to after the lightning.

It never comes.


	2. The Day of the Autumn Equinox Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Tana's time loop.  
> We are introduced to Katara and Sokka, Aang, Ruo/Zuko, and of course, Princess Tana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note:  
> There is a Confucian ceremony in which a young person comes of age, and receives their name. It is called the Guan Li ceremony. I have decided to incorporate that ceremony into the story, in order to draw boundaries and separates the personas of our characters.

Tana wakes up, her shoulders shaking. She tastes her salty tears, and for a moment she tastes smoke and fire. She rubs her eyes, wiping her tears away. Another chance, she tells herself, this time she'll succeed. She shivers, and looks around the room.

Her room on Zuk - Ruo's ship (she corrects herself. He hasn't had his Guan Li yet.) is smaller than the one in the palace, and everywhere she looks she sees metal. It’s drab and gray, and she tried to hang tapestries to cover them up, but they always ended up burning to a crisp. Somehow.

The sunrise had just come in, flooding her room with pinkish light. As she remembered from her past trials, today was the autumn equinox. Ruo’s sixteenth birthday, and by extension, his Guan Li.

She scribbled little notes in her diary, such as _Don’t wear red in Ba Sing Se_ and P _retend to agree with everything_ he is saying. Her mistakes in her last attempt had caused her failure. And a broken leg, and the end of the Avatar cycle and- Her thoughts were interrupted by an involuntary shiver. Looking around, she found that her fireplace had gone out. Tana got out of bed, her feet meeting the cold floor. Her steps are light and quick. It's as if her leg had never been broken in one of her past trials. She could have just used heat bending (her secret contribution to firebending) to heat up her room, but she needed to know if her chi still worked. She just needed to be able to do a basic firebending move.

Years of repetitive time travel did that to a person.

And of course, each time she time-travelled, there were different circumstances. She needed to know if she had her bending this time. She threw coal into the empty fireplace, and she takes a deep breath.

Shifting into a firebending stance, she felt the familiar rush of fire through her stomach as she puts two fingers up, and successfully lights the fireplace. The room feels pleasantly warm, and behind her she hears the sound of something slithering on the cold metal floor, though she ignores it.

Her flames are a deep purple, so hot that it was even unnatural.

She smirked to herself, she was the first of the firebenders to have fire that burns at a different colour.

It feels good to be different.

Not even Ah Ju's blue flames could match hers.

The flames are slow to cool, from purple, to blue, and to the familiar orange, and when they did, a small golden ribbon-like thing skittered across the floor to meet them. Tana smiled fondly at her pet dragon, Timor, and gave him a scratch on the head. His red eyes glittered when they saw her, and he snaked around her neck, at just the right temperature.

Timor purred against her, and snorted fire at her coal-stained hands. "Right, I should wash them."

She made her way to the bathroom, and as if knowing her intentions well, the steaming water, (Ruo always insisted on hot water) rushes to her hands, face and hair, cleaning them of dirt and grime. She stood in front of the mirror, looking disheveled in her red sleeping robes. When the water finally leaves her body, it is dark and murky.

She scoffs, “I’m not that dirty, mom.” The Tana in the mirror winks at her and blows a kiss. Tana hides a smile, long reconciled with her mother, the spirit of time, wondering what the special circumstance was this time.

_Azula screamed, and writhed, thrashing as she breathed blue flames, her hair drenched and a mess._

_Tana knelt before her cousin, daring to reach out and touch her cheek._

_Tears spilled down both their faces, and Tana was unable to see._

_“T_ _ana! Careful!” Zuko warned, holding a sorrowful, tear-stricken Katara behind him._

_Tana cupped her hand to Azula’s cheek, her heart racing._

_Azula’s eyes were wild, looking in every direction, but she calmed down the moment she felt Tana’s touch._

_“_ _Ta..na…?” She whispered._

_Memories flashed before Tana’s eyes. These memories were not her own._

_A younger Ah Ju, running after her brother in the Palace gardens, taunting and teasing, giggling as her older cousin pinned her to the ground and tickled her._

_An eight year-old Ah Ju in her mother’s arms, weeping as Ursa confronted Ozai, afraid._

_A fifteen-year old Azula, with her hair up and a new hairpin nestled in her bun. She wore red lipstick now, and later she would be carried to her ship in a palanquin._

_Her victory at Ba Sing Se, the feel of the cold metal Earth Kingdom throne._

_The beach._

_The prison._

_The temple._

_The bitter taste of betrayal._

_The Final Agni Kai. And now, Tana saw herself, cupping Azula’s cheek, as the younger girl’s shoulders were shaking with sobs, and there was so much pain in her golden eyes._

_All those memories suddenly disappeared, and all Tana saw was Ursa, cruel and unkind._

_Ursa, abandoning and unforgiving._

_Ursa, choosing Zuko over her._

_Ursa, arranging for her to be overthrown._

_I needed a mother too._

_“I love you, Azula. I do.”_

_“Daughter.” Aeva called, dressed in her spirit world attire, ageless as the day she left. Her black hair and red robes fluttered in the breeze, radiant in the blood-red sky. Tana resembled her mother far too much. Looking at her was like looking into the turtleduck pond. A perfect copy, a pristine reflection._

_She suspected that the only thing she had inherited from Iroh were his golden eyes._

_But it was forbidden for a spirit to consort with a mortal._

_There would have been some dire consequences. And there were dire consequences._

_Tana had lost a brother, and when Aeva had left, she had lost a mother. She lost a throne._

_“Daughter, you must allow this to happen. Time will pass, and soon you will forgive and forget.”_

_“And she will heal?”_

_The spirit remained silent. It pained Aeva to see her daughter utterly heartbroken._

_“No, she won’t.” Tana spat, as the gold faded from Azula’s eyes, turning into a cloudy, murky gray._

_T_ _ears continued to fall._

_“You cannot change this, Tana! You can only accept!” Her mother warned, the ribbons at her feet slowly, curling and uncurling, dancing in the breeze, chaos and order, always moving._

_“No. I am not you. I will not sit idly by and watch from the sidelines. I will not let this happen. Azula did not deserve this.” Tana said angrily. “I have had enough of this.” She kneeled before her mother, putting her arms up in surrender._

_Aeva’s eyes widened as Tana began to recite the Unrejectable Request, one that forced spirits to do the bidding of whoever asked of them._

_"Return me to the day of the Autumn Equinox. Give me a year from today. Let me save Azula."_

_Aeva hesitated, but she knew she could not deny Tana._

_However, she had to protect her daughter. Her future was unreadable. It was dark, murky and cloudy._

_"Every time you fail, you will return to the day of which you ask. Your failures will be the failure to save Azula, her death, and your own death. Only when you succeed shall you be free of your loop." Aeva decreed, her eyes glowing white as she kissed Tana's forehead._

_"I wish you luck, my beloved daughter." Tana watched as her mother disappeared into light._

_The world glowed white, and Tana found herself waking up in her bed on Ruo's ship._

Tana dressed in her red shirt and pants, putting on her armour and braiding her hair up and winding it up into a bun, sticking her royal hairpin into it. Out of the people on the ship, she and her father were the only ones allowed to wear the hairpin. Of course, her father refused to wear it, opting instead to wear her mother’s betrothal necklace as a hair tie.

Tana ran her finger over the intricate gold dragon hair ornament, with rubies for the eyes and a large dragon’s breath fire opal in the middle, a gift from her grandfather, on the day she showed her purple fire. 

Just as she tied her thick fur cloak around her shoulders, the door to her room slid open. She looked up in surprise. "Dad?"

Why was he here?

Was this the special circumstance?

Iroh had aged considerably, with wisdom in his wrinkles and silver in his hair. Still his gold eyes were full of mirth and merry, and Tana could not resist embracing him. "Good morning, Tana." He murmured, hugging her tightly. "I brought you tea." He stood to the side, and one of the servants carried a table with a tray of tea and teacups. He sat and gestured for her to sit down.

"Why are you here, Dad? Is something wrong?" She asked, gratefully accepting a cup of tea. “Can’t a father see his daughter without letting something be wrong?” Tana rolled her eyes.

Her father sighed into his cup of tea, sending the vapor in all sorts of directions. "Your mother came to me in a dream last night." He said grimly. Tana inhaled sharply, smelling the fragrant, flowery ginseng.

When she was younger, Tana didn’t like the smell of ginseng. She had grown up with her father on the frontlines of Ba Sing Se, and she had to spend her early teen years under the guidance of her grandfather, her mother, Aunt Ursa, and her oh-so-loving Uncle Ozai. If there was anything she learned from them is that there must always be struggle in order to have something beautiful.

Ginseng tea tasted nice, and it was even fairly easy to make it. But she had always been suspicious of it. There had to be struggle in order to have something good. There were always special challenges and circumstances, all with their respective consequences. This was the special circumstance.

"She said something strange. She said you were stuck in a time loop?"

Tana weighed her choices as she sipped her tea.

If she said yes, she wouldn't have to explain and get her father to trust her.

If she said no…. If she said no she would be in the same position as she was before-

"Tana, please, just tell me the truth. No need to think about it." Iroh studied her.

"Yes." She decided, setting her teacup on the table. "I'm living in a time loop. I know everything that's already happened and I know everything that will happen."

"So you know." "Know?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

Didn't she just say-

"That Zuko is the Avatar."

SOKKA

Sokka smiled at himself as he rowed through the icebergs. Today was the first day of summer, when the sun would never set. Perfect day to be catching fish.

“It’s not getting away from me this time.” He muttered at the fish in the water. “Watch and learn, Katara!” He grinned at his sister, Katara, who was sulking, her arms folded on her chest.

As he aimed for the fish, he heard the sound of water splashing, and to his surprise, Katara lifted the fish out of the water and into the basket.

“No fair!” He grumbled, noticing the tiny smile at the corner of his sister’s mouth. “That won’t prove anything. You’re just a girl, and using magic powers is cheating!”

Katara exploded, standing up and rocking the canoe. “It’s not magic, it’s water bending and I’m-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. The last of our tribe with those abilities.” Sokka rolled his eyes and turned back to face the maze of icebergs.

Suddenly, one of the icebergs collapsed, making the water rise and carrying them across.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“DO SOMETHING!”

The water splashed and drenched them from head to toe.

“Why is it that every time _you_ play with magic water, _I_ get soaked?”

“It’s not my fault!” She argued.

“I _knew_ I should've left you home! Leave it to a girl to screw things up!”

Katara slapped him. “You are the most sexist, immature, nut-brained, ugh! I’m embarrassed to be related to you!”

Behind her, the walls of ice came crashing down, revealing a glowing blue sphere.

“What-” Sokka gasped. He tried to get out of the canoe, but was violently thrown 

"Katara!" He hissed. "Get away from there!"

Of course, his headstrong sister would not listen, and she ran towards the glowing blue sphere.

With her magic- _sorry_ \- bending, she began to wave her blue dye-stained hands around, and the ice began to crack.

"NO! Katara, stop!" He stood protectively in front of her, pointing his machete at what ever that _thing_ was.

"Look, you can't just run towards a big glowing ball of ice just because it's a big glowing ball of ice!"

"Your point?" Katara crossed her arms.

"I'm supposed to protect you! You can't just go running to things that scream DANGER!"

"Ugh, whatever, Sokka." She rolled her eyes, shoving him to the side and shifting into a bending form. "You can just stand next to me and protect me! I'm sure we can take whatever's inside that ice!" Her huffing came out in little puffs of air around her face.

With a graceful swoosh, the ice melted into water, flowing down into pools around their legs.

"Katara! You got my socks wet!" He whined, and yelped when he got a smack to the face and a "Ssh!"

Carefully, they trod over the puddles of water and bunches of snow, the cold air blowing around them. In the middle of the sphere was a boy, seemingly unconscious. And some large creature Sokka didn't recognize. 

"Hey, won't the village be thrilled when they get this?!? A giant bison thing, fat and full with meat!" Sokka felt a smile coming onto his face as he poked the beast with his spear.

The beast groaned.

Then the boy began to stir. "No...don't touch Appa. He doesn't like to be- hey, where am I?"

The small bald boy spoke up, reaching for his staff. He was dressed in yellow and orange

Sokka unsheathed his machete. "You tell us who you are and what you're doing here, first!"

"Sokka!" Katara protested. "I'm sorry, he's being so rude. You're in the Southern Water Tribe. I'm Katara, and this is my brother, Sokka." She smiled apologetically at the boy.

"I'm Aang. I'm an Air Nomad. Nice to meet you, but I really should be getting home." With great difficulty, the boy got up, leaning on his staff.

"What? But you just got here!" Sokka pointed his blade at him. "Aha! I knew it! You're a Fire Nation Spy, and now that you've gotten some information on the Southern Water Tribe, you're gonna go back to them and report!"

He spat accusingly, lifting Aang by his collar.

"Everyone knows the Air Nomads went extinct a hundred years ago!"

"What do you mean, extinct?" The colour drained from Aang's face. Katara glanced at her brother.

"Stop acting like you don't know! Anyone could tell you the Fire Nation started the War by launching an attack on the Air Nomads!"

"What war?" Aang demanded. "Tell me, Sokka, what war?"

Sokka's eyes widened. "You really don't know?"

Katara murmured, "You must have been stuck there for a hundred years."

Aang must have had great hearing, because the boy's eyes looked around wildly, shaking his head, "No, no, it can't be."

"You're just joking right?" Their faces remained apologetic.

For a minute, Aang looked like he was about to cry. Instead, he closed his eyes and swallowed slowly. "Look, I have to leave. Do you guys have a map on how to get out of here?"

Katara looked at her brother. "Not right now, but….do you want to come with us to the village? Maybe a hot meal, and some rest? I’m sure Sokka can find a map or two."

Aang smiled gratefully, "Sure, thanks."

The group began to walk together, with Sokka sending a few suspicious looks over his shoulder at Aang.

"Stop, you're being so obvious!" Katara whispered.

"A stranger appears in an iceball with a weapon and a hairy beast? Gives enough reason to be suspicious!”

They shot a glance at Aang, looking at his surroundings in wonder.

He caught them staring and waved, smiling brightly, as if he hadn’t just awoken from his century-long nap, and found out his entire race just got wiped out by the Fire Nation.

“He’s so….strange. And tiny. And happy.”

TANA  
  


Tana carried a steaming cup of tea outside, joining her cousin, Ruo out on deck.

“Good morning.” She smiled, leaning her elbows on the railing.

The sun had risen high in the sky, providing little to no warmth.

“Is Uncle awake yet?” He asked, his expression unreadable. Tana pitied Ruo, her banished cousin with his scarred face and awkward ponytail, armour that was old-fashioned, sleeping clothes patched and holed up.

He shivered in the cold air.

“Yeah, Dad’s awake.” She nodded, untying her thick fur cape and wrapping him up. “Remind me to teach you fire breathing and chi-heating. Have you meditated yet?”

Ruo nodded, accepting the cup of tea. 

They fell to talking about firebending forms and wondering what the Fire Nation was like now.

“It’s your birthday tomorrow.” Tana hesitated. She knew what his 16th birthday would bring. Chaos, struggle and uncertainty. Finding out he was the very same Avatar he was chasing after? A recipe for struggle. She only hoped he would be able to face it, again. Quickly, she reached out for his aura, relieved when she felt the dark, murky gray instead of the bright white light. She added a layer of icky, fuzzy brown for good measure. The Fire Sages wouldn't be able to sense him.

“Maybe you should start calling me Zuko, Tana.” He smiled cheekily, earning a playful slap on his shoulder. “You’re not sixteen yet, Your Highness. Not until midnight, at least." She joked, instantly regretting it when the smile on Ruo’s face faded.

“Two years and one month.” He said quietly. “It’s been long.” He sighed. “Sometimes, I think I won’t ever get to find the Avatar.”

  
  


“No, believe me, you’ll find him.” Tana encouraged him. “I dreamt of it.”

Not exactly a lie. _He’d have to find himself._

“Talking about dreams, I suppose I should tell you about this recurring one.”

He began to talk about his dreams of three people, Xihei, a boy, looking younger than himself, an older woman named Avani, and finally a young adult in his early twenties, Ro.

“They would look at me and smile, telling me to have courage. That it is my destiny to bring balance.”

A shudder passed through Tana as she realized the Spirit World had begun contact with its Avatar. 

“Do you remember what they were wearing?” Tana asked, fidgeting nervously. She felt Timor nip her gently on her wrist as he slithered down her arm.

Ruo frowns. “Xihei was wearing orange and yellow, but I don’t reco-”

“Air Nomad.” She murmured. “Xihei was an Air Nomad, maybe even an airbender.”

“What?”

“Nothing, go on.”

“And Avani, she was from the Southern Water Tribe, blue eyes and everything. Ro was probably Earth Kingdom, but I’m not sure.”

Tana nodded. “What does it mean, Tana?” Ruo turned towards her, and she saw the dark circles under his gold eyes. His eyes were desperate. And they told her something she already knew. This was not the first time Zuko had been contacted by his past lives.

The Avatar Spirit was everywhere. In little gusts of wind, thrashing in the little pot of earth Iroh kept for a flower that never blossomed, gurgling in the water jug and roaring in the fireplace.

“I think I know what they mean, but,” he turned away again, squinting at the sun, “I don’t want them to mean that.”

“It’s okay, you can tell me.” Tana patted his shoulder sympathetically.

He rolled his eyes and smacked the railing. “Whatever. Let’s go train. I need to be ready to face the Avatar.”

He walked back to the deck.

  
She murmured under her breath. "You ARE the Avatar."

No one would hear her, not over the howling wind, and the sound of the engine whirring as the ship made its way through the sea.

Suddenly, a beam of light shone from the heavens, shining on their ship. Everything was surrounded in white, and for a moment she feared that she had failed, and this was the blinding light that would restart the loop.

Soldiers were shouting, as the Prince of the Fire Nation took three steps and promptly floated above the ground, his eyes and the scar that marred his face glowing with blue light.

All around the world, Tana knew, the temples and statues of the nations would emit the same light that she saw now. 

And everyone would know.

The Avatar had returned.


	3. The Day of the Autumn Equinox Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It begins with a point of view from our beloved airbender, and ends with the first interaction between Zuko and Katara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so smug while writing this chapter, haha!
> 
> I like the idea of foils and parallels.
> 
> I was listening to Adriana Figueroa's Daughter of the Moon.
> 
> It gave me a new perspective on duty and destiny, which will probably be a repeating theme as the story progresses.

AANG

  
  


Somewhere dark, cold, and terrifying.

Aang didn’t know where he was. He only felt fear, pure fear. The monks had taught them not to dwell on emotions for too long, but this fear was like binding ropes, chains, things that weighed him down and held him prisoner.

There was a bright light against his eyelids, and he forced himself to open his eyes.

He was in the middle of the ocean, on Appa, with rain pouring down all around them. In front of him was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen in his entire life. (Twelve years wasn’t exactly much.)

She was glowing, and she had brilliant white hair that flowed all around her. She seemed serene and graceful, calming and quiet, gentle and sad.

She had kind blue eyes, the kind that crinkled at the edges, almost as if she were perpetually smiling.

But she wasn’t.

“Aang, listen to me.”

“You are not Xihei. This is not your destiny. At least not now.”

Aang couldn’t say anything, but his hands clenched Appa’s fur.

He mustered the strength to speak. “I should have been the Avatar.”

Xihei wasn’t even an Air Nomad. Not a true one. His mother had been raped by a band of travellers, and she fell pregnant, alone, unto the steps of the Southern Air Temple, begging for help.

But no matter how kind the woma was, her son Xihei was cruel, just as cruel as much as an Air Nomad could be. He could twist anything, mess with your mind, make it seem as if he was right. He could make you question what you believed in.

Xihei didn’t deserve to be the Avatar.

Aang was the prodigy, the youngest ever to have his tattoos and earn the rank of Master. He picked the best looking toys, those that he believed were his, in his past life.

For the first part of his life, he believed he was the Avatar. He just needed to wait.

And so it came as a shock when they announced that it was Xihei.

Xihei with his smirks and his practical jokes.

Xihei, the Avatar.

The day they had to pay respects to him, he had locked himself in the air bison stables.  And the day that they announced that he was to teach the Avatar and serve as a companion to Xihei, he ran away.

  
  


“The destiny you long for cannot be yours.”

“What do you know about destiny?!?”

The girl smiled sadly at him, but did not answer his question.

“Avatar Xihei is dead. As is Avatar Avani, and Avatar Ro.”

Aang’s eyes widened, and tears began to fall from his cheeks, tears he wasn’t even aware of.

“No, that can’t be. It couldn’t have been a hundred years, or more, no, no, no…Sokka was wrong.”

“The next Avatar will rise from the ashes left by his family. A destiny he didn’t choose, but a duty that he must follow. Aang, you might fight against your destiny, but you must know and follow your duty.”

It rained harder, and lightning struck somewhere. The thunder rumbled and shook him awake.

“What’s your name? Who are you?” He called, as the waves brought him far away from her, and the winds roared and the water crashed against something.

“Why do you know me?”

  
“Aang!”

  
  
“Aang!”

He was shaken awake by the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair was dark and wavy, held back by beads and braids.

_ Katara. _

  
  


She was leaning in so close, that he could feel the brush of her coat’s fur on his nose.

He blushed and crept backwards, away from her. “Come on, it’s time for dinner. You fell asleep on the way here. Your bison carried us here.”

She took a long look at him and left, pushing the flap that separated them from the outside world, and leaving him alone.

It was cozy in the hut, and outside, he could hear the laughter of children and the murmurs of wind. A fire crackled somewhere, and suddenly he remembered the words of the strange girl.

That the Avatar was to rise from the ashes. And if the Air Nomads were truly gone, then there was no one to help him learn airbending.

Aang sent a gush of wind to push his staff towards him. As he traced the carvings on the staff, he began to feel lonely and afraid. If the Air Nomads were truly gone then...

He allowed tears to fall, and he wiped them quickly. There was nothing he could do about it.

He exited the hut, finding Katara, a warm hug, and an offer of penguin sledding.

  
  


ZUKO

The sun did not set. 

Ruo wondered if it would, and wanted to stay out for as long as possible, were it not for the cheers that erupted from below-deck.

The Imperial Waterbenders, half-breed children of the captive water tribe women, had bent the water around them into a temple. A replica of the Fire Sages’ Temple. The ice began to melt, making the deck flood up to their knees, but they didn’t mind, dancing and laughing in the water, as it evaporated into steam all around them.  There was celebration and liquor, all in his honour. His sixteenth birthday.

He went down the steps to join them, and found the warm eyes of Uncle Iroh. He gestured for them to enter a room, where he knew Tana would be waiting.

The room was dark, which was odd, but he didn’t mind.  She sat in front of a golden dragon statue, her face and hair covered, only the strange gold eyes shining through. The dragon’s ruby eyes shifted and reflected a light that wasn’t there.

He shuddered.

At the beating of an unseen drum, he began the ceremonial bows, offering a warm smile to his family members.

As he bowed to the east, a candle that he hadn’t noticed was suddenly lit, providing the room with a little light. 

“Where the sun rises.” Tana spoke.

As he bowed to the west, there was the sound of water splashing around, and it snaked around him. He imagined it slithering across the floor, like a snake.

The water did just that.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Uncle Iroh giving Tana a look.

She didn’t meet her father’s gaze but continued, “Where the sun sets.”

Then he bowed to the north, before Tana and Iroh, and suddenly, a gust of wind came, and the candle went out, filling the room with smoke and darkness again. With a flick of a wrist, it was lit again.

“Where the sun shines.”

To the south, his final bow, he encountered something that felt like a rock. It floated a few inches above the ground, and landed on the metal floor with a thud.

"Where the sun shadows."

Ruo was afraid now. This was all too familiar. Like a repeating, recurring dream.

“Come, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, and accept your name. Your destiny. Your duty.”

Every step Zuko took didn’t feel like his own. He willed his feet to stop, and yet, they didn’t.

They carried him to Tana and sat him down, in front of her. She replaced the plain and tattered ribbon that tied his hair with one of gold and red silk. If the circumstances had been different, it would have been his mother performing the act, with Ozai watching proudly. It would have been the Crown Prince’s hair ornament, sitting in his bun.

But his mother was gone and his father had sent him away. He was a Prince, only in name, with no power except that of his firebending and this tiny, tiny ship.

He looked up at her, knowing that she had never done anything like this. She had never even touched his hair. 

But her eyes were tired and her movements were quick, precise, and experienced. As if she had done it a thousand times.

“Rise, Zuko.”

  
  


His body was suddenly wracked with pain and covered in warmth, and all at once he felt layers of something suffocating and uncomfortable being ripped off, like the cloth that covered an old blade. 

A blade that was sharp and familiar, shining and cold.

His eyes glowed blue and white, and his scar felt as if it had been freshly wounded once more.

He felt his feet leave the floor, and he was floating.

His senses were elevated, both eyes clear, and everything sounded sonorous, the howling of the wind and the crackle of the ceremonial flame.

It was as if the Agni Kai had never occurred.

He felt the warmth of fire, the lightness of air, the rush of water, and the steadiness of earth.

Everything was familiar, as if it wasn’t his first time.

_ It’s nice to see you again, Avatar. _

And his mouth turned upwards into a smile, crooked. Something that wasn’t his, though it felt as if he had created it himself.

_ Nice to see you again, Raava. _

  
  


KATARA

They were at the shipwreck. Somewhere far from everywhere else.

It was quiet. Not even the wind could reach them here.

Aang sat down on the floor, staring in wonder and in shock. Frozen, like one of Sokka’s socks that lay forgotten in the snow on a particularly windy afternoon. He was beginning to process what had happened.

Her heart ached for him, as she tried to imagine what would be like if her entire race was gone.

And she was the sole survivor.

She held her blue-stained hands in front of her, studying them. 

The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.

“I know how you feel.”

Aang hummed in reply.

“I lost my mother to the Fire Nation, too.”   
  
“I never imagined they could be that way. I mean, I had friends in the Fire Nation. They didn’t seem to be that kind of people.” Aang’s eyebrows furrowed. 

Little did Aang know, that one’s environment changed a person, no matter what childhood promises or friendships they had back then. His friends grew to become generals, politicians and soldiers, and they had long forgotten the bald monk who preached kindness and non-violence, and was content just to be with them.

“Well. they divided the world and killed a lot of people, Aang. Only the Avatar can stop them. And I have hope that the Avatar, whoever they are, will bring an end to this hundred-year war.”

  
  
  


“A hundred years..Just like what the girl said.”

“What girl?”

“The pretty one with blue eyes.”

Katara couldn’t help but blush, but that quickly faded when she realized that he wasn’t smiling at her the way people did when they complimented her. The strange, tiny, bald boy was sitting quietly, writing on the wet metal floor.

_ Destiny.  _

There was a strange sound, like a guttural moan, and the slap of water against something large and moving.

A ship.

She and Aang exchanged a look.

Outside, it began to snow ash. She could taste it, smell it, see it, feel it.

And the last time she had seen that, her mother had died.

_ Danger! _

She pulled Aang by the wrist and began to run.

“Come on! Something’s wrong!”

The boy followed her order, and they ran over the snow, while everything around them turned to gray.

The penguin-seals around them began to bark and honk, startled and frightened by the sudden movement, and the panic that ensued.

Children were rushed into huts, and the women stood by the entrances, standing guard, blocking anything from entering or exiting.

“Aang! Katara!”

Sokka was yelling at the top of his lungs, gripping a spear that seemed too old and too big for him. “Get in the hut! There’s a Fire Nation ship docked!” He ripped Katara and Aang apart, and pushed his sister in the direction of the huts.

He met Aang’s eyes with fresh and newfound hostility. “This is your fault. You led them here!”

  
  


“You’re making a mistake!”

“ _ I’m _ keeping my promise to Dad while you’re-”

An elderly lady exited the hut. She was short and frail, and wrinkled like a piece of parchment.

“You two! That’s enough! Katara, come inside!” 

It was Gran Gran. And she was placing her hands on her hips. It didn’t make her look threatening, but it did make the situation more serious.

“Sokka, it’s not his fault! Give Aang a chance!” Katara yelled, ignoring her grandmother.

Sokka studied Aang and narrowed his eyes, shoving his staff into his hands. “Fine. Then you fight with me.” Aang gulped. “I’m not really a fighter but…”

“Well?” He challenged his sister. “There’s the chance I’m giving him. Now go into the hut.”

“No.”

“What-?”

“I’m fighting too.”

“No! Katara it’s dangerous!”

His sister was ever defiant, and she began to remove her heavy coat. “I promised Dad I’d protect you!”

“I can protect myself!”

And with that final, cutting statement, she began to run towards the ship.

“Katara, no!”

  
  


Aang and Sokka ran after her.

“Katara!” Her grandmother wheezed, unable to chase her. She fell to her knees in the snow, murmuring and whispering prayers. “Tui and La, protect them.”

She ran faster, feeling a little chilly without her coat. The ship was dark, bulky and grey, with the Fire Nation insignia stamped onto it. It cast a shadow upon the entire village.

Katara stood paralyzed. She didn’t know what to do, not really. She could barely even waterbend. Her breath came out in little puffs all around her. She shivered.

Then the soldiers began filing out of the ship, standing in ranks. They were tall, and though their armour had changed, it bore a striking resemblance to the ones that had killed her mother. It was as if she had returned to that moment in time. Stuck in a loop she felt she could never escape from.  Katara clutched her mother’s necklace and shifted her feet into a waterbending stance. Beside her, Sokka had stopped, panting, hands on his knees, unable to properly say anything.

“Go- _ pant - _ back - “

Aang also positioned into a stance. Katara thought he looked as if he had never fought anyone before. She began to feel self-conscious of her posture, adjusting and wriggling around, trying to remember what the figures in the old scroll looked like.

There were soldiers with a special kind of armour. They were dressed in looser clothes, and their belts were of blue silk. As if they were puppeted by an invisible string, they began to do something she recognized as bending formations, moving in sync. Suddenly, the ice surrounded the unfortunate trio, freezing their feet and hands.

Sokka began to yell and scream, curses and things that would be slapped out of his mouth had they been heard by their grandmother.

“Waterbenders.” Katara breathed. 

They were trapped. Aang tried to wriggle out of the ice, but found that he could not even move.

  
  


A young man with a strange face came down from the ship. Half of it was burnt. He had a ponytail on his bald head, and wore armour that seemed too old for him.

His face seemed permanently etched into a scowl. Beside him was a woman in long, comfortable robes, topped with armour. She was dressed warmly, and wore a red and gold hood. She seemed too bright, standing out from the greys, whites, and blues of the world around her.

“Get the airbender.” The soldiers began to approach Aang, who began to laugh nervously.

In a split second, he was able to break free from his icy prison, but found himself trapped again.

The soldiers began to carry him into the ship. As he passed the couple, he met the eyes of the woman. Her gold eyes seemed to convey the same emotion that the girl from his dreams did.

Sadness, regret. A silent apology. Unspoken words.

He decided that he wouldn’t try to escape.

He would listen to what she had to say.

  
  
  


Katara willed the water to melt, and before long, she and Sokka were free.

The young man’s eyes widened.

“Aang!”

“Katara, no! Just let them take him!” Sokka held his sister back.

  
  


“I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, and I have come…”  He glanced at the woman beside him. Her hood had slipped down, revealing a face. It was sharp, painted a strange white. The woman wore red lip colouring and red eyeshadow, giving her the appearance of an eagle or a fox.  Some of her long black hair was tied in a bun, secured by an elaborate gold pin, while the rest of her locks fluttered in the wind.

“I have come to capture the Avatar and bring him to the Fire Nation!” The woman moved quickly, and her head turned towards her companion, a bemused smile gracing her features.

Everyone was whispering in shock. Aang was the Avatar?! The troublemaking, strange little boy was the Avatar?

Katara gasped, kicked her brother to the ground, and ran towards the ship. “Katara!”

“I will hurt no one. Just let us leave.”

And with that he turned and began to walk towards his ship. “Wait! You just can’t take the Avatar!”

She ran towards the ship. She couldn’t see Aang anymore.

“He’s the only hope we have left at ending the war!”

  
  
  


Sokka threw his boomerang in a futile effort to stop his sister. It ended up almost hitting Zuko’s companion, who quickly deflected it with a sword he didn’t notice she had.

“Hey, you jerk, turn around and listen to me!”

Shocked and annoyed, Zuko turned and met the angry girl’s eyes. 

As they made eye contact, Katara felt as if she were naked. He was looking through her, into her, seeing as much of her as he could in a split second.  He seemed so familiar, as if they’d known each other before. But she quickly shook that feeling away.

“If you’re as  _ honorable _ as you think you are, then you won’t back down without a fight!” She challenged. She was no longer afraid.

Not when the world’s only hope was so close, just right in front of her. 

The Avatar.


End file.
